Regular '-er' Verbs
The second major group of verbs in Spanish ends in -er, such as comer (to eat), beber (to drink), and leer (to read).
Just like with '-ar' verbs, conjugate them in the present tense by dropping the -er to find the stem, then adding the ending that matches the subject:
| Subject | Ending | Example (comer) |
|---|---|---|
| yo | -o | como |
| tú | -es | comes |
| él/ella/usted | -e | come |
| nosotros/as | -emos | comemos |
| vosotros/as | -éis | coméis |
| ellos/ellas/ustedes | -en | comen |
Singular Subjects
When making sentences with yo (I), tú (you), or a single person or thing, use the singular endings (-o, -es, -e).
| I eat the bread and you eat the cheese. | Yo como el pan y tú comes el queso. |
In questions, the verb often comes before the subject.
| Do you drink the juice? | ¿Bebes tú el zumo? |
For the verb leer (to read), dropping the -er leaves you with the stem le-. Add the ending directly to that stem.
| The boy reads the newspaper. | El niño lee el periódico. |
Plural Subjects
The plural endings are -emos, -éis, and -en. Because these endings usually make the subject obvious, pronouns like nosotros (we) are frequently dropped.
| We learn Spanish in the city. | Aprendemos español en la ciudad. |
Notice the -éis ending for vosotros/as (you all), the informal plural used in Spain. Remember to include the written accent mark on the e!
| Are you all reading the new book? | ¿Leéis vosotros el libro nuevo? |
When talking about a plural subject like los estudiantes (the students) or ellas (they), use the -en ending.
| The students learn English very fast. | Los estudiantes aprenden inglés muy rápido. |
Negative Sentences
Make any statement negative by putting no directly before the verb. Combine this with dropping the subject pronoun to create concise, natural-sounding sentences.
| I do not read the newspaper, I read the book. | No leo el periódico, leo el libro. |
